Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-06-30
YELLOWSTONE PARK.

he whole truth ABOUT tne lenoWspone'
md TO acknowledge that while the
yreat mark contains certainly the seven
Wonders of the world in natural mag
nifcence, the great spaces between
these different wonders are immense
distances of utterly uninteresting seem
ery, which one trayerses over roads
covered with white binding dust
which is very nearly intolerable. 1t
is true that the hot springs, and the
geysers, and the Paint Pots, and the
falls, and the canon, and the lake, and
the many-colored pools, are worth any
amount of trouble in getting to them;
but it is also true that they are worth
taking any amount of trouble to lessen
the trouble; and since it could all be
removed by SO simple thing as a few
rails and locomotive, it is certainly a
pity that state of things should be
left existing which prevents the very
young, the very old, the very fastdious'
or the very weak, from enjoying the
real wonders of such journey.
In the mean time, however, there is
no railway, and our friends, as the
next best thing, would hire special
teams and camp out
Joseph was pressed into service as
guide. 1t was very cool in the cor
ridors of the hotel, but single step
from the piazza proved their light sat
teen travelling dresses more comforta-
BILE than the blue flannel gowns still
waiting for the reputed frost of the
Yellowstone. Colored glasses were
necessary to shield the eyes from the
intense glare in the sunlight OF the
snowy terraces, dropping one after an
other for two miles from the dark pine
woods above and around them, like a
series of beautiful frozen cascades.
81 noticed there is only one man
who has the courage for figures" said
the Man of Sense, referring to his
guide-books as they crossed the white
plateau at the base of the extinct
springs, and paused at the foot OF Old
Liberty Cap, the cone of an extinct
geyser, towering fifty feet into the air;
"He seems to know all about it, and
declares that it took just tifty-four cen
turies to build up this thing"
81 can tell you who he is" said the
knowing Joseph, with a laugh. "He's
the man that tells you the BoilingRiver
puts fifty thousand barrels ofhot water
into the Gardiner every twenty-foul
hours. I've often'told him he'd ought
er have let us know when he was go
ing to measure it.
"Any estimate of the age of the low
er terrace would be purely conjectur
al" read the Man Of Sense from an
other guide-book.N "Still, l suppose
there is no doubtaabout its being ;
matter of centurieG In that case, how
soon do they expect to finish repairing
the Devils Thumb%'
For they had walked over to tn
smaller column, which was not onl,
extinct, but crumbling with age ant
decrepitude. Art was endeavoring t.
assist nature, and repair the waste b.
bringing water from the hot spring
| Just above in wooden troughs, lettin!
| it trickle down the sides of the con
and evaporate, to leave its snowy de
posit to repair the ravages of time.
"Well, that feller that knows S
much about the figgers, explaine
Joseph, ''says the Orange Geyse
builds foot in q century, And h
saws the hot springs will deposit
sixteenth of an inch in four days. Al
/ know about it is that l can put bee
bottle under some of the falling water
and turn it round once or twice, an
have it beautifully coated over, wit
a white crust that won't crumble, in
day or two"
"Question:. if you can coat bee
bottle in day or two, how long wi
it take to build geyser cone? .Com'
!. Mabel, you were last at your books.
"Fifty-four centuries" +" answered tn
u Maiden, promptly.
Correct. You may 60 up to tn
head;" and the Imperturbable pointe
to the upper terrace towering !abov
them.
1t was not at all steep climb, bl
: they had to be wary about steppin
into the little rills Of hot water tricl
ling down from the upper springs.
@What is that dust?" exclaimed Il
Convert, suddenly. II never saw du
rising from ice before. rl a.
"Well, marm," said the smiling 10
eph, sin the first place 'tain't dust; az
in the next place, tain't ice. I'll
dust is steam, and the ice is form
ton"
"Of course" said the Convert.
ought to have known. But can't {
vest myself of the idea that all til
white rock is arctic snow"
.sWell, / don't know" said the Ii
perturbable; ''this isn't exactly what
should call arctic.
He had been, with the Maiden, t
first to reach the top, and was gazii
into the depths of the first of the maj
moth Hot Springs. The wind HI
blown toward him a sudden Whit
the hot sulphurous steam, and he h
stepped back quickly, only to find til
he had stumbled into one of the inr
cent-looking rills, that was decided
warm enough through his boot
But what . magnificent sight it WI
The whole snowy mass that had look
cold and silent under the pale mo-
the night before was now CLOWN
y, cleaning, pulsating with life und
the morning sun. For perhaps a hu
dred acres the white surface W
studded with brilliant pools, set Ii
jewels, as clear as diamonds, lowell
in color than opals, in rims Of frett
} frost delicate as lace and firm as ms
BILE. Over these coralline ede
{ trickles softly the gentle overflow